In 2016, Pat McCrory ran for reelection as North Carolina’s governor on the same ticket as Donald Trump. Trump carried the state, but McCrory lost by just over 10,000 votes out of more than 4.5 million cast.

In the decade since, McCrory has watched the Republican Party move in a direction he no longer fully recognizes.

This week, he sat down with the Holler to discuss January 6th, HB2 (the so-called “Bathroom Bill”), what Republicans are saying privately that they won’t say in public, and whether honest disagreement still has a place in American politics.

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Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Tift Merritt joins the Holler to discuss her career as a working musician, the process of writing songs, and how streaming and AI are reshaping the future of music.She breaks down what artists actually earn from streaming, why it can take millions of plays to break even on a record, and how the shift from CDs to digital platforms like Spotify changed the business. She also talks about AI-generated music and what it means for ownership, credit, and compensation.Tift also discusses her work in policy and advocacy, including efforts to give musicians a seat at the table, and why she sees what is happening in music as a warning for other industries.Join the Holler and help us build a better North Carolina, one conversation at a time: https://www.patreon.com/TheHometownHollerBuy us a coffee: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted...Substack: https://substack.com/@thehometownhollerWebsite: https://www.thehometownholler.com/

New York Times bestselling novelist Wiley Cash joins the Holler to talk about storytelling, Southern identity, and what it means to be a North Carolina writer. Wiley reflects on growing up in Gastonia around religious family members who spoke in tongues, the small-town dynamics that shaped his novels, and how homesickness while living in Louisiana pushed him to write the book that launched his career. We also get into the craft of writing (including why he thinks “show, don’t tell” is terrible advice), the long tradition of Southern storytelling, and his new venture Flood Plain Books, an independent bookstore opening in Wilmington designed to bring readers, writers, and good conversation together.

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Bob Crawford of The Avett Brothers joins the Holler to discuss his new book "America's Founding Son" and how a touring musician ended up writing a sweeping history of John Quincy Adams. Bob recalls studying American history in the back of a tour van and falling down a rabbit hole that led him to one of the most fascinating and overlooked figures in American history.

We talk about why Adams's era feels eerily familiar today (tariffs, populism, conspiracy theories, cultural polarization) and why Bob believes Adams's life is a powerful reminder that public service doesn't end when you leave the highest office in the land.

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Harnessing the mystical power of Diet Sun Drop, we summoned Former NC Governor Roy Cooper to the Holler.Roy opens up about growing up in Nashville, NC (the original Nashville), working summers on the family farm, losing money on pigs and watermelons, and his short-lived career breaking horses.

From blocking Phil Ford's shot in a high school gym to leading NC through hurricanes and COVID, Roy traces the journey that's now leading him to run for the U.S. Senate.We get into Medicaid expansion and how he got Republican sheriffs and county commissioners to bring it across the finish line, the affordability crisis squeezing North Carolina families, what it's really like to go from governor to one of 100 senators, and why he believes North Carolina isn't as divided as the politicians want us to think.

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Representative Rodney Pierce joins the Holler to talk about what it means to represent one of North Carolina’s most overlooked regions. A public school teacher and first-term legislator representing Halifax, Warren, and Northampton counties, Pierce discusses rural population decline, public school funding, bipartisan bills that never got hearings, and what rural voters want from their elected leaders in Raleigh.We talk school vouchers, segregation academies in eastern North Carolina, health disparities, removing a Confederate monument in Halifax County, and what it’s actually like inside the General Assembly. Pierce reflects on faith, service, and the responsibility of representing communities that too often feel left out of the political conversation.It’s a conversation about rural dignity, public education, bipartisan frustration, and who state government is really working for.👉 Join the Holler today and support independent North Carolina storytelling:https://www.thehometownholler.com/

Richard Ojeda swings by the Holler to talk about service, sacrifice, and what real representation looks like in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District. A retired Army major and former West Virginia state senator, Ojeda discusses leading troops in combat, surviving political violence, and why he believes members of Congress should put boots on the ground back home.

We talk veterans’ health care, small-dollar fundraising vs. corporate PAC money, raising wages, and his challenge to incumbent Congressman Richard Hudson. It’s a conversation about leadership, accountability, and who government is actually supposed to work for.👉 Join the Holler today and support independent NC storytelling: https://www.thehometownholler.com/

Kate Barr returns to The Hometown Holler to explain why she’s running as a Republican in a heavily gerrymandered North Carolina congressional district. We break down gerrymandering, voter suppression, GOP primaries, party strategy, and the political machine built by Tim Moore — and whether it’s possible to win inside maps designed to keep power in the same hands.

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Historian Heather Cox Richardson returns to The Holler to chat about American democracy, authoritarianism, and why history keeps echoing into the present.We talk Reconstruction, the Wilmington Coup, North Carolina’s unique political history, and what it means when people say, “it can’t happen here.”👉 Support independent NC storytelling: thehometownholler.com

This year, Quinn and Daniel are unwrapping a holiday special packed with all the comfort and chaos of a good ol’ fashioned Carolina Christmas. Daniel’s sister and brother-in-law — Sarah and Austin McCombie of Chatham Rabbits — are in town, which means it’s time to uncork the bourbon and share a little Christmas cheer 🎄🎶

If you’ve seen Chatham Rabbits live, you already know the deal: homegrown tunes, stories from the road, and a deep connection to home. Over the last few years, Sarah and Austin have built a devoted following across the country — releasing four records, touring relentlessly, and somehow still finding time to run their farm back in North Carolina. Their fourth album, Be Real with Me, was released independently in 2025 and has been praised as “absolutely marvelous and beguiling” by No Depression and “a masterclass in songwriting” by Americana Highways.

This Christmas, they’ve stopped by the Holler to reveal what’s actually on their tour rider and share the story of Austin’s very first Christmas with Sarah and Daniel’s family. Along the way, we conduct a highly scientific Little Debbie Christmas Tree taste test, revisit Christmas gifts gone wrong, and present a spirited defense of why the Grinch might not be the villain after all.

Pour a glass of eggnog, pull up a chair, and stay a little longer this Christmas. And if you’re really feelin’ the holiday spirit, click this link to join our Patreon community and help us holler louder than ever in 2026.